Gear Picks
Your Gear Guide for On-the-Road Power
Grab one of these portable power stations and you’ll never have to adventure without a charge again
Featured
$20.00
from Amazon
This battery is just four inches long and weighs less than three ounces. It only has one USB port but carries 3,350 mAh of power that will charge your phone once on the fly.
$130.00
from REI
All you need to charge your phone and cook a camp meal are some sticks—not gas canisters—that’s the beauty of the Campstove 2. It features a 10,000 BTU burner that runs thermal energy generated by a small fire. The heat produced also feeds the on-board 2,600 mAh battery, which can store a full phone charge. We dig the LED dashboard that offers real-time info on fire strength and battery level.
$1800.00
from REI
This has a battery capacity of 1,425 watt-hours and the ability to power everything from your mini fridge to your laptop and camera. It’s incredibly easy to use (there’s an app to control it with your phone and a screen that will give you the estimated run time) and has outputs for every form of power you could think of. At 45 pounds, it isn’t light, but true off-the-grid power has its price.
$150.00
from REI
The Charge 4 is a speaker-and-battery combination, delivering high-quality audio in a portable, waterproof package with 20 hours of playback time. It weighs more than three pounds, so it’s not the lightest speaker on the market, but it also has a 7,500 mAh battery that can charge your phone twice and still leave you with several hours of play time.
$200.00
$180.00
from Backcountry
10% off
The River Bank bridges the gap between a small power bank designed to charge your phone and a large portable generator made to power just about everything. It features two USB-C ports and two USB ports as well as a Qi wireless charging pad, so you can charge a laptop, phone, drone, or even jump-start your car. It holds its charge for up to six months and only weighs two pounds.
$100.00
from REI
This isn’t much bigger than the palm of your hand, but it puts out 350 lumens of light for up to 250 hours. It also serves as a power bank that can charge your smartphone up to four times. There’s an Android and iOS app that enables you to control the light from your phone.
All Gear
$44
$21
from REI
52% off
These Kinco gloves aren’t anything fancy, but sometimes we think the simplest gear is the best gear. “The reinforced pigskin leather is tough, and the thermal lining is warm enough for most days on the slopes,” we wrote. We recommend adding a layer of Sno-Seal to the outer coating for a waterproof finish.
$125
$94
from Huckberry
25% off
Our gear columnist called these shoes “close to perfect.” Their versatile build “sits at the intersection between a runner, a travel slipper, a water shoe, and a low-cut hiking boot,” they wrote. “It’s replaced at least three other pairs I used to rotate through (flip-flops, hiking boots, and work shoes) and looks mostly new even after a couple beatings.”
$128
$99
from Lululemon
23% off
“This sleek 17-liter pack holds more than it looks like it can,” wrote our tester, who included it in our roundup of the best men’s summer workout gear. “Outer mesh pouches swallow socks and shoes, and a big top-loading interior pocket fits a change of clothes and everyday essentials.”
$325
$244
from Backcountry
25% off
The original Ghost Whisperer is our Gear Guy’s favorite lightweight down jacket. The 800-fill-power down is toasty, and the feather treatment helps it stay dry longer, even in wet environments. If you’re concerned about weight, this is the jacket you want—it weighs less than eight ounces.
Sponsor Content
L.L.Bean Waterproof PrimaLoft Packaway Jacket
$249
from L.L.Bean
Now with complete waterproof protection, the L.L.Bean Packaway Jacket will keep you dry. Plus, the PrimaLoft insulation with Cross Core technology utilizes aerogel to keep you warm without weighing you down. An essential this winter season.
$24
$16
from REI
33% off
If you’re a skier who wants less cushioning, these are the socks for you. “Icebreaker’s take on the superthin ski sock features moisture-wicking merino wool, nylon, and Lycra,” wrote associate editor Abigail Barronian. “It has little cushioning to speak of, but it still feels substantial, striking a good balance between weight, warmth, and breathability.”
$430
$360
from REI
16% off
We featured the Recon LT beacon in our Winter Buyer’s Guide roundup of the best snow safety gear. “The device’s ergonomic shape and low-profile harness make it comfortable to wear and easy to forget about until you need it, and the advertised 50-meter range held up during tests in the glades of the Sangre de Cristos and in the Alaskan alpine,” wrote our tester.
$160
from REI
Our Gear Guy considers the Fall Line the best and most reliable pair of ski gloves. “No other piece of gear in my ski kit sees more use than the Fall Line,” he wrote. “After all these years, the reason I love them is simple: they’re the right tool for keeping my hands warm while skiing—and tinkering with my gear—all season long.”
$250
$187
from REI
25% off
Columnist Wes Siler crowned the FirePit the best portable grill ever. It works as both a fire pit and an efficient grill, thanks to the fan that makes the pit run “virtually smokeless,” Siler wrote. “With the fan running on high, the entire thing went from cold to ready-to-sear in under 15 minutes.”
$85
$64
from REI
25% off
The Tarantulace is one of the best climbing shoes for beginners. “Rather than the sharp-angled toe of most climbing shoes, the Tarantulace has more of a squared silhouette that offers a bit more wiggle room,” contributor Olivia Harlow wrote in her roundup of the best gear for those new to the sport.
$50
$37
from REI
26% off
If trail weight is an issue, you can’t beat Hydro Flask’s Trail Series bottles, which are 25 percent lighter than their original versions. They’re still double-wall insulated to keep beverages cold for hours. You can fit two pints in their larger, 32-ounce bottle making it perfect for a happy hour sunset hike.
Gear Picks is a curated selection of products we’ve tested and heartily recommend. We stand by this gear—and the brands that sell it—and many of our editors and writers use this stuff weekly. Whenever possible, we provide a link to a past review so you can make sure it’s something that suits your lifestyle—ideally at a steeply discounted price. Happy shopping—and gear-picking.